Frances Perkins’s agenda for the Labor Department put her at odds with the country’s tradition of restrictive immigration legislation.

In this extended interview Downey discusses Frances Perkins, a labor rights activist, close friend of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the first female secretary of labor.

Frances Perkins was a trailblazer whose legacy during the New Deal Era continues to improve the lives of people today. Perkins spent her life fighting for working people and served as a driving force ...